Current mood:

frustrated

dental woes
I got dental insurance about a month ago. You have to specify a primary care dentist when you do that, and I saw that Lovett Dental didn't have any bad reviews in this grad student yellow pages thing, so I picked them. I went for my initial exam and (I thought) cleaning a couple weeks ago. I showed up the first time I had it scheduled, and they said they had to cancel it because the dentist was sick, so I went the next week. I had my x-rays and consultation with the dentist, but to my surprise, the cleaning was not happening that day. I had two cavities, so I would have to come back anyway, so (I thought) I scheduled the cleaning and fillings for today. Nope. After waiting forty minutes in the waiting room, I had my teeth cleaned and that was all. I told them I thought I was supposed to have my fillings done also, but they said the dentist schedule was separate and I hadn't scheduled that appointment yet. So I'm coming back on Wednesday for those. I think I am more annoyed and angry than the situation warrants, but they definitely are getting more copays than I think I should have to pay. I was too upset to articulate my frustration to them today, but I hope that on Wednesday I will be more calm and can tell them why I am frustrated and that I will change dentists if this is how they normally do things. I don't want to be all huffy and go through the hassle of finding a new dentist over something that is a fluke, but because they didn't apologize or act like the situation was unusual, I don't think it was. Jon has recommended telling the insurance company about this since they are being charged double as well or filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau if they don't seem to care or want to do it better the next time. I might. If I don't decide to change dentists, I will try to confirm that my next appointment is for both the exam and the cleaning. Isn't that normally how dentist visits work? It's just a waste of my time and money to come back twice and have to wait a long time for two short procedures. I understand that you have to come back another time for fillings and other work, but the cleaning and exam should go together. I hope that the fillings are done well. The administrative/scheduling sketchiness makes me nervous about the quality of dental care, but since I definitely have the fillings scheduled and really want to get them done soon (my teeth hurt when I eat sweet, starchy, or grainy foods), I will get the fillings with them and hope for the best.
Tonight I am making mustard greens for the first time. A new vegetable is definitely an exciting thing. Last night we made risotto-stuffed Swiss chard leaves. They were really good. I had made butternut squash risotto on Friday, and we stuffed the leftovers (and some mozzarella cheese) in blanched chard leaves, poured a little vegetable broth and lemon zest on top, and baked for a while. "We" is inaccurate. I found the recipe, but Jon did the cooking yesterday while a friend and I did some sewing. She wants to learn to sew, so we are making a robe for her. It's kind of a big first project, but it gives her a lot of practice, and since it's in-the-house wear, it's OK if it isn't perfect. It is looking pretty nice, though.